The present invention relates in general to searching a corpus of documents, and in particular to search systems and methods utilizing one or more search-related activities to active engage a user of a search system.
The World Wide Web (Web) provides a large collection of interlinked information sources in various formats including texts, images, and media content and relating to virtually every subject imaginable. As the Web has grown, the ability of users to search this collection and identify content relevant to a particular subject has become increasingly important, and a number of search service providers now exist to meet this need. In general, a search service provider publishes a Web page via which a user can submit a query indicating what the user is interested in. In response to the query, the search service provider generates and transmits to the user a list of links to Web pages or sites considered relevant to that query, typically in the form of a “search results” page.
Query response generally involves the following steps. First, a pre-created index or database of Web pages or sites is searched using one or more search terms extracted from the query to generate a list of hits (usually target pages or sites, or references to target pages or sites, that contain the search terms or are otherwise identified as being relevant to the query). Next, the hits are ranked according to predefined criteria, and the best results (according to these criteria) are given the most prominent placement, e.g., at the top of the list. The ranked list of hits is transmitted to the user, usually in the form of a “results” page (or a set of interconnected pages) containing a list of links to the hit pages or sites. Other features, such as sponsored links or advertisements, may also be included on the results page.
The web pages provided by the search service providers via which a user can submit a query vary somewhat in layout, content, look-and-feel, etc. but generally include a text box for input of keywords for use in the query. Results of the search are provided in a results page with a list of links to results (i.e., pages found to have content matching the query) and possibly one or more advertisements. This format results in a search process that is very structured and not particularly entertaining. So, once a user locates information relevant to his interest, the user typically leaves the search service provider's web page quickly. Further, there is little or no incentive for the user to go back to the search service provider's web page after the information desired has been located.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a more entertaining or interesting interface to actively engage a user of the search system to encourage the user to spend more time at the search service provider's web page.